Improvement in car-couplings



J. W. SNAPP; Gar-Coupling.

Paten ted Nov. 26, 18 78.

5R5 FHOTO-UTHOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON; D.C.

UNITED TATES PAT FFIGE.

JAMES IV. SNAPP, OF JASPER, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD HIS RIGHTTO WILLIAM E. DONALDSON, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARY-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 210,215, dated November26, 1878; application filed May 9, 1878. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. SNAPP, of the city of Jasper, in the countyof Marion and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful-Improvements in Oar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Figure 1 is a perspective View. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through thestandard, drawhead, and link-guide. Fig. 3 shows the toothed bar andcoupling-pin detached.

My invention relates to devices for operating the ordinary link-and-pincar-coupling without danger of injury to the operator 5 and theinvention consists of a toothed bar connected at the lower end to theupper end of the coupling-pin, and adjusted to slide vertically in aslot in a standard on the draw-head by means of a pinionarranged in theslot and operated by rods connecting with the shaft of the pinion,extending to either side of the car, and provided with cranks, and of alinkguide attached to the draw-head and operated by connecting-rods andcranks, as hereinafter fully described.

A is a standard on the top of, andpreferably cast solid with, thedraw-head A. This standard is provided with a slot in the inner side theentire length of the standard,'to receive the toothed bar connected tothe coupling-pin, and adjusted to slide vertically in the slot of thestandard. I I

B is the toothed bar, having a slot and hook, a, on the lower end toconnect with the upper end of the coupling-pin O, which is progided withan eye to receive the hook on the D is a pinion, adjusted in the upperpart of the slot of the standard on a shaft, a, having its hearings inthe standard, so that the cogs on the pinion engage with the teeth ofthe bar B, as shown in the drawings.

E E are rods, the inner ends of which are connected to the shaft to byloops through the eyes in the ends of the shaft, forming thus loosejoints, to allow the required motion of the draw-heads. These rodsextend outward to either side of thec'ar, and the outer ends are bent toform the cranks b I), and the rods are supported in position by bearingsat 1) b attached in any convenient manner to the car.

F is a link-guide, provided with arms 0 c for attaching the guide to thelug c on the under side of the draw-head. These arms are constructed tobe adjusted one on each side of the lug to which they are attached by ab0lt, d, extended through them. The ends of the bolt are square, to fitthe square holes in the arms, to raise the guide by means of the rods GG, which are connected to the bolt by I loops through eyes in the endsof the bolt,

forming loose joints.

These rods extend outward to either side of the car, and their outerends are provided with cranks ff, and the rods are supported in positionby suitable bearings at g g attached to the car in any convenientmanner.

A dog or catch, it, is pivoted to the toothed bar over the slot in thelower end, which may be moved to one side to allow the couplingpin to behooked onto the bar, and the dog then drops down inside of the upperpart of the hook, to prevent the pin from becoming unhooked from the barwhile the cars are running. (See Fig. 3 of the drawings.)

To couple the cars, the toothed baris raised by one of the cranks b bsufficiently to withdraw the coupling-pin above the interior of thedraw-head, and as the link in the drawhead of the other car approachesthe guide F is raised by one of the cranks ff into the required positionto guide the link into the mouth of the draw-head, and by crank b g or bthe movement of the pinion is reversed, lowering the coupling-pin inposition through the link in the draw-head, and the guide F is allowedto. drop down out of the way, in position shown by dotted lines in Fig.2 of' the drawings.

It is readily seen that with these devices cars of different heights andout of line laterally by being on curves of the track, as well as thoseof same height and in line, may be 2. The link-guide F, having arms 0 cattached to the lug 0 under the draw-head by bolt (1, and operated bymeans of the rods G G and cranks ff, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aflix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

JAMES W. SNAPP.

Witnesses:

JOHN L. MINTER, EPHRADVI L. DRIGMORE

